The Millennium - (Part 3)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Revelation 20:1-3

In this part we will see the “bottomless pit” (a better translation is “abyss”) into which Satan is cast into is this planet. During the period of 1,000 years earth will be dark and desolate as a great abyss. But we, the righteous shall dwell with the Father and Jesus in heaven!

The condition of this land after the Second Coming of Jesus and during the millennium:

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men... But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:7, 10-13

Because the Bible always interprets itself, we go to the Old Testament to see what the condition of this planet (the abyss) into which Satan is cast out to will be.

The original condition of this earth, when Lucifer was cast on it is described at the time of creation.

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2

Perhaps a better translation of the phrase “face of the deep” would be “face of the abyss”. Either way they refer to the same concept.

That the expression "bottomless pit" represents the earth in a state of confusion and darkness is evident from other scriptures. Concerning the condition of the earth "in the beginning," the Bible record says that it "was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." [THE HEBREW WORD HERE TRANSLATED "DEEP" IS RENDERED IN THE SEPTUAGINT (GREEK) TRANSLATION OF THE HEBREW OLD TESTAMENT BY THE SAME WORD RENDERED "BOTTOMLESS PIT" IN REVELATION 20:1-3.]*

Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants…The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24:1-5

A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant... Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment… I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. This is what the LORD says: "The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. Jeremiah 4:7, 20, 23-27

Earth will remain in complete desolation. If we recall the plagues that are released upon this world (the bowls with the wrath of God), and the judgment over Babylon described by the apostle John, are also described by the prophet Jeremiah.

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it... and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach [Babylon] will drink it too…"Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: " 'The LORD will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth… This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth." At that time those slain by the LORD will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse lying on the ground. Jeremiah 25:15, 26, 30, 32, 33

What a terrible condition, the wicked will be destroyed and their corpses left on the face of the earth! That is the condition of this world for 1,000 years. That is the abyss into which Satan is cast out to. He is also chained because there is no one to deceive. The righteous are enjoying heaven with God the Father and Jesus our Redeemer. The wicked have been consumed so there is no one left to deceive.

At the coming of Christ the wicked are blotted from the face of the whole earth--consumed with the spirit of His mouth and destroyed by the brightness of His glory. Christ takes His people to the City of God, and the earth is emptied of its inhabitants.*

Why is Satan chained for 1,000 years? When we study the sanctuary we will see this ritual in greater detail.

Now the event takes place foreshadowed in the last solemn service of the Day of Atonement. When the ministration in the holy of holies had been completed, and the sins of Israel had been removed from the sanctuary by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, then the scapegoat was presented alive before the Lord; and in the presence of the congregation the high priest confessed over him "all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat." Leviticus 16:21. In like manner, when the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary has been completed, then in the presence of God and heavenly angels and the hosts of the redeemed the sins of God's people will be placed upon Satan; he will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit. And as the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth, an uninhabited and dreary wilderness.*

Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight.*

Thanks to our Lord, our Redeemer, we have nothing to fear if we look to Jesus every day. We will dwell with Him and He will be our God forever!

JESUS IS COMING!

*The Great Controversy, “Desolation Of The Earth”, Ellen G. White